


The Meaning of Roses

by tyler-nohomo-dun (kdencayden)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Florist Dan, M/M, Tattoo Artist Phil, also pastel phil, and punk dan, b/c why not, this is a birthday gift fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-23 03:18:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6103084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kdencayden/pseuds/tyler-nohomo-dun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's getting close to Valentine's day, and florist Dan Howell is already sick of roses.</p>
<p>There's better flowers to say the same thing.</p>
<p>If only someone other than him knew their meanings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Meaning of Roses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hawkbooty on tumblr](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Hawkbooty+on+tumblr).



> omg this is the beginning of the end b/c this is my birthday fic for hawkbooty, my amazing girlfriend who loves florist/tattoo artist aus and loves cheesy phan.
> 
> wish her happy birthday if you like at hawkbooty.tumblr.com

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot of different meanings for the plant referenced in this chapter. I use the one from pioneerthinking.com which is "Gladiolus — Meaning: Love at first sight"

“Who decided that roses were the patron flower of Valentine’s Day?” Dan scoffed, asking himself, as there was no one in The Lone Arranger at this time of day, given that it was barely past 7 AM.

He huffed, puffing his bangs out of his face before turning back to his Valentine’s Day display. The gaudy pinks and reds of the vases Louise had picked, having sworn up and down that it was _for the ladies, Dan, trust me, they’ll love it,_ hurt Dan’s eyes, clashing too much with the otherwise muted aesthetic of his store.

Inwardly, Dan cringed.

Outwardly, he turned the front-most vase until he was satisfied with the angle of the roses in relation to the door.

“There are way better flowers to give if you want to express your affection.” He told the vase, brushing a speck of dust from the rim of it.

“Which ones would you recommend?” A voice asked from behind him. “I thought that roses were for love.”

Dan turned, nearly bumping into a sweater, inches away from the face of Phil Lester, his business neighbour. He was a lot closer than Dan expected.

“Jesus _CHRIST!”_ Dan clutched his chest, doubling over, to one side. “You scared the _PISS_ out of me!”

“I’m sorry!” Phil apologized immediately. He held up his hands in surrender, Dan catching a glimpse of a swirly pattern on his nails. “I didn’t mean to! Are you alright?” He put his hand on Dan’s back, making Dan’s stomach churn, able to feel the warmth Phil was radiating, even through his leather jacket.

“I’m fine!” Dan straightened quickly, Phil’s hand falling away. His cheeks were slightly pink, but he hoped Phil would chalk it up to the blood rushing to his head.

“Are you sure? You look flushed.” Phil, nuisance that he was, put his hand to Dan’s forehead, frowning at how cold Dan felt under his fingers. “You’re freezing! How do you survive?”

“We can’t all be a ball of sunshine, Phil.” Dan brushed his hand away, fixing his bangs. “Did you come here just to make fun of me?”

“No! Of course I didn’t!” Phil wrinkled his nose, as though the very idea was appalling. “I came because the flowers I bought are starting to dry out, and I want some new ones for our desk.” He gestured across the street, to Sunshine Studio, his tattoo parlour. “The ones you chose before looked so beautiful… We got a lot of compliments because of them!”

“Hopefully you sent them my way.” Dan deadpanned, turning to the carnations, plucking a few different colours out.

“Of course!” Phil assured him. He watched Dan work, thin fingers plucking just the right flower and adding it to the growing bouquet in his arm. “You said that there were better flowers than roses for expressing affection?”

“There are.” Dan nodded. “It really all depends on what you’re trying to say.” He half-shrugged, standing with one Doc Marten on top of the other, a bad habit that left scuff marks on his right shoe only. “There’s carnations,” He lifted the arm holding the flowers, “a lot of flowers, as long as they’re red, can convey love, actually. Everything from chrysanthemums to tulips to orchids to yes, even roses.” He made his way to the counter, plucking one last flower from a nearby vase and turning, holding it out to Phil. “This is a Gladiolus flower. Sometimes people call it the sword lily. I want you to have it.” He avoided eye contact with Phil, cheeks pink. “No charge.”

“Oh!” Phil blushed, accepting the flower. “Thank you!” He smiled brightly, attempting to catch Dan’s eye. “It’s beautiful!” He tucked it behind his ear, a grin on his face.

Dan looked to Phil for a split second, clearing his throat. “Yeah, beautiful.” He went behind the counter, brushing it off before tapping at the cash register, ringing Phil’s bouquet up. “That’s gonna be £12.99, plus your tax. Should give you the final total down there.” He gestured with his head to the credit card scanner, working to wrap the bouquet in plastic and tie it with a ribbon.

“Oh, that’s a really good price!” Phil pulled his wallet from his purse, _why hadn’t Dan noticed he’d been carrying a purse?,_ pulling his card and swiping it with a delicately steady hand. “These are going to look amazing, and just in time for Valentine’s day!”

Dan got the inclination that Phil was a nervous talker, given the anxious sounding hum Phil had made when Dan had merely nodded.

“Are you doing anything for Valentine’s Day, Dan?” He signed the screen, waiting for the next prompt to come up, lip between his teeth.

“Working, probably.” Dan heaved out a sigh. “I saw that you guys are going to be closed, though.”

“Yup! We didn’t think it was a good idea, y’know? People do stupid things in the name of love.” He wrinkled his nose slightly. “I got screamed at a few days ago because I didn’t stop someone from getting a tattoo they ended up regretting.”

Dan couldn’t imagine anyone yelling at Phil, who was poofy skirts, pastel sweaters, and bright smiles.

“Can’t say I’ve ever been yelled at because someone regretted flowers.” Dan laughed, tearing off Phil’s copy of the receipt and holding it out to him. “Have been yelled at for a couple other things though. Once, someone thought I was a robber. Claimed I didn’t _look_ like a florist. How ridic is that?”

Phil snorted, picking the bouquet off the counter. “Did you just say ‘ridic’?”

“I did!”

Phil laughed again, a sound Dan had appreciated since he’d opened this damn florist, nearly two years ago now. “I’ll see you soon, Dan!” He waggled his fingers, flashing Dan with the pastel swirls painted on his nails once more before exiting the store.


End file.
